


When the Scent of Her Lingers and Temptation's Strong

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Pet Sounds [8]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-21
Updated: 2012-12-21
Packaged: 2017-11-21 20:50:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/601939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Have you ever experienced this feeling where nothing has changed yet everything has?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	When the Scent of Her Lingers and Temptation's Strong

**Author's Note:**

> This is but isn’t quite a Gideon/Prentiss fic. It’s hard to decide sometimes how to label things but I went with my gut. If you like those characters, that ship, or this series then I think you'll enjoy it. The title comes from the Elton John song, Sacrifice.

Emily had a great lunch, a little nap, and then Dr. Tom let her out to roam. It had been a decent morning. Emily hung out with the Ambassador; they had coffee and croissants while the Ambassador read the _New York Times_. Then she left the bedroom when Dr. Tom got out of the shower. She knew that look in a man’s eyes, and the Ambassador did as well. No need to stick around for the sexy stuff. 

But now she was free. Emily left Clyde looking for weaknesses in the fortress as he called it. He was still planning his escape but she seemed to be settling in even more. It was a cloudy day as she looked both ways and made her way across the street. Penelope and JJ were walking down the driveway of the Kassmeyer residence. They were both tabbies; Penelope was grey and black with white on her paws while JJ was orangey yellow.

“Hey guys.” Emily greeted them amiably.

“Hey Emily, you wanna come to the park and play Cops and Robbers with us?”

“You're gonna play Cops and Robbers alone?”

“Will, Kevin, and probably Owen are going to meet us down there.” JJ replied.

“If you come then we can be even.” Penelope said. “Six is an even number but five isn’t. Elle comes sometimes but she just hangs off a tree branch and barks orders. We call her The Chief.”

“Not this time guys but I’d love to some other time.” Emily said. “Hey Penelope, is Gideon around?”

“He's resting on the side porch.”

“Oh good. I'm gonna go and um…talk to him.”

“OK see ya.”

“Bye. Bye JJ.”

“Bye.”

Emily made her way up the driveway and onto the porch. She walked around, taking it all in. It had only been her house for a few weeks but she really liked it. Its warmth and coziness was comforting. As she turned the corner there was Gideon lying on the wood porch. It wasn’t quite sunshine time, which was Penelope’s name for afternoon, but he wasn’t going to miss his naptime.

“Hey Gideon.” She was tentative in her hello. 

It had been a few days since they'd seen or spoken to each other. He didn’t respond and for a moment Emily froze. She looked at him closely, moving closer to inspect his body. Her heart slowed when she saw his chest rising and falling as he breathed. Emily let out the breath she didn’t even realize she was holding.

“Gideon?” her paw reached out to touch him.

“Katya…” his eyes slowly opened. He still seemed to be in a dream.

“No, it’s Emily. I'm sorry to disturb your nap.”

“You're not.” He stretched, yawned, and then moved into a sitting position. “I'm an old cat so I can nap anytime. It’s good to see you.”

“I should've come sooner. I'm sorry.” She said.

“Even though I wasn’t pleased by your absence, it’s a good sign. It means that you're happy in your home and with your new companion.”

“Plot twist…my new companion is my old companion.”

“What do you mean?” Gideon asked.

“I didn’t tell you; I didn’t know how. My friend Clyde, who I've traveled all over the world with, is suddenly living across the street. He made his way to the American Embassy in Prague and the Ambassador gave him as a gift to the other Ambassador here. It’s a very small world.”

“I would say so.” Gideon nodded. “It must be wonderful to be back by his side.”

“It’s different. Have you ever experienced this feeling where nothing has changed yet everything has?” Emily asked.

“I think I know what you mean.”

“That’s how I feel.”

“So are you unhappy?” Gideon asked.

“No.” she shook her head.

“How was your morning?”

“Oh, the Ambassador shared her croissant. It was really delicious.” Emily smiled. “She spoils me but I don’t think that I mind. We spent some quality time together this morning. Then I left when the doctor came in and wanted to mount her.”

“Hmm.”

“Yeah, the doctor mounts her at least twice a day; sometimes three times. I don’t stick around for a lot of it…nothing I haven’t seen before. But this one time I had to stay because she mounted him. I've seen it before but oh my God, have you ever heard the sounds a woman makes when she mounts a man. It’s crazy.”

“Emily…Emily…?”

“What?”

“I think I could’ve gone all day without hearing that.”

“I'm sorry but it’s true. They mount each other a lot. I guess they're really in love and that’s nice.”

“Sometimes humans enjoy that activity, yes.” Gideon smiled a bit. “It’s not always associated with love but it’s still an interesting and beautiful thing.”

“You called me Katya earlier.” She said.

“What?” he looked at her.

“When I woke you up you said the name Katya. Who is she; someone you used to know?”

“She’s you.” he spoke in a low tone when he said it. It was hard to look into her eyes.

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s in your eyes. The reason I know many of the things I know is because Mr. Kassmeyer read aloud to me. We read many, many books together. One told the story of a special girl who charmed the lonely Czar of Russia using only her mind. 

“He fell in love with her ability to solve the most complex riddles. So taken, he brought her from her village to live in his kingdom until she was old enough to become his wife. Her name was Katya. I think of you and am reminded of that story.”

“You're sweet, Gideon.” Emily said.

“I'm probably just old, foolish, and sentimental.”

“You are absolutely not foolish. Do you know how old you are?”

“Doc Rawlings says that I'm at least ten years old. Even with the annoying arthritis he told Sam that I could live for another 10. The average lifespan of a housecat is 12 to 14 years. Many pets live past that time. Recently, the numbers have risen.”

“And you're not sick are you? You don’t make all those references because you're going to go, do you?”

“I'm not sick.” Gideon shook his head.

“Do you promise me?”

“I promise.”

“Do you really promise? I don’t want to lose you.”

“Emily, what's the matter?”

“Nothing, I just…I don’t want to lose you.” she’d lost enough. It was the circle of life but she couldn’t even contemplate it happening to Gideon. He was the first cat in such a long time that made her feel whole again.

“Well I'm not going anywhere at the moment.” Gideon replied. “I don’t like to make that kind of promise, life can be very uncertain but I'm here now.”

Emily threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close. She purred loudly, pressing her nose to his. Gideon purred as well. Then she moved away.

“Anyway, I wanted to come over and see you.” she said.

“I'm glad that you're happy with the Ambassador and the Doctor. They’re good people.”

“I think they are.” Emily nodded.

“You must also be happy to be reunited with Clyde.” Gideon said.

“He's going to leave.”

“What do you mean?”

“Clyde could never be a housecat. He wants to go back to Europe and live a life of constant adventure. He asked me to leave with him…be his companion again.”

“You're leaving McLean?”

“That’s where we are?” Emily asked. “This place is called McLean?”

“Yes, it’s the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. I'm sure that Europe has much more appeal than the tree-lined streets around here.”

“I actually have a thing for cul-de-sacs. Not many people know that about me.” she smiled. “I've seen enough of the world, thanks. The suburbs have their own adventures and appeal. It’s different for me and I want to embrace different.”

“So you're not leaving?”

“I don’t think so. Do you mind if I stick around and get on your nerves a little longer?”

“I can pretend to be asleep.” Gideon replied. “I'm good at it.”

“I’ll just lie all over you. I'm not so easy to shake off Gideon. When I want something I hold onto it.”

“I think all cats do that. Clyde must be upset that you're not traveling with him.”

“I care deeply for Clyde and that’s never going to change. I feel like it must be some kind of fate that we’re together again. When I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye, when I thought he was dead, it hurt so much. It’ll be hard to actually watch him walk away but having some closure will ease the pain some. I just want him to be happy. I know how happy his freedom will make him.”

“What makes you happy?” Jason asked.

“I'm working on figuring that out. At least if I settle someplace I have the time to do that. I've always wanted a home and a family…this could be my chance. Anyway, I know this is your naptime. 

“I’ll let you get back to it. I have plans for a long, luxurious bath and then a nap. I don’t know if I told you but I have a fleece kitty bed now. The Ambassador doesn’t want us sleeping on the furniture. I could care less about the couch with my own bed.”

“A fleece kitty bed sounds quite nice.”

“I have to admit it’s the best thing ever.” Emily smiled. “So I’ll see you later?”

“I'm out here every afternoon as you know. If it’s raining I usually stay in though.”

“What if I want to see you and its not sunshine time?”

“You're welcome here anytime. Come to the window and you'll see me. I can come outside. Or Penelope will let me know that you're looking for me. She’s frequently out and about.”

“OK.” It didn’t sound to her as if Gideon wanted to see her. She just sighed. “Goodbye Gideon.”

“Goodbye.” He reached his paw out and covered hers. “Enjoy your nap.”

Emily got up and walked back around the corner. She was halfway down the walkway when Clyde came out of the bushes.

“You scared me.” Emily jumped back then swatted him with her paws.

“I'm sorry.” Clyde snickered.

“You're not that sorry.” She cut her eyes at him. “You're laughing Clyde.”

“You didn’t used to scare so easily.”

“Things have changed.” She said.

“That has been made abundantly clear. Affectionate pet names and soft paw touches…that’s love I think.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I'm talking about.” Clyde replied.

“If you're going to spy on me then you should've popped up and introduce yourself. What gives Clyde?”

“Gives?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Nevermind.” She shook her head. “Gideon is a friend; we've had this discussion. I have friends now and it’s actually a really nice feeling. You should meet them; I think you'd like them.”

“No attachments love, remember?”

Emily nodded. She looked at him before looking both ways to cross back to her side of the street. Clyde was right beside her.

“You got attached to me.” Emily said.

 _And now look_ , Clyde thought to himself but didn’t say, _I'm going to lose you_.

“No attachments.” He repeated.

“Have you found a way out?” she asked.

“This place is locked up pretty tight. I can't really blame them; we live in dangerous times. Right now I have two options. I either make a break for it when the Doctor lets us out in the afternoon or I go the bathroom window route. They leave the master bath window half open all the time. I can pop the screen, climb down the pipe, and voila…freedom.”

“It sounds like you're ready.”

“I am.” Clyde nodded. “I’ll relax for a little while but I can't hesitate for too long because they might close the window. It’s a time sensitive plan.”

“I understand.”

“Just come with me, love. I understand the attachments, I do. Remember how you never wanted to leave London? But we left and I'm sure you don’t regret it. You have so many fond memories.”

“This is different.” Emily said.

“Tell me that you'll at least think about it.”

“I never want to lie to you. We promised that we wouldn’t. I have thought about it but I doubt I'm going to go. We need to think about the upside.”

“And what is that?”

“You'll always know where to find me.” she replied. “If I stay here, make it my home, we’ll never truly be apart. I know it won't be probable that we’ll see each other often but you'll always have a place to lay your head.”

“I wish that made me feel better. It doesn’t.”

“Well cheer up. You're not leaving today; we have time. We can make our own adventures in the suburbs for a little while. After my bath and nap that is. We’ll meet up for dinner.”

“Will do.”

Clyde smiled as Emily went back into the house. He turned, going out of the picket fence and back across the street. The older cat was still lying down. He was licking his paw, running it over the top of his head. The Tonkinese approached him.

“Hello Gideon.” He said.

“Hello.” Jason stopped what he was doing.

“My name is Clyde Easter…I think its time for a proper introduction.”

***


End file.
